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'£4m refurb bill' for Kate and William's palace home

The Royal Family have defended spending reported £4 million refurbishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Kensington Palace apartment. The taxpayer will foot the bill for extensive work on the property.

Royals defend Kensington palace apartment spending

The Royal Family have defended spending a seven-figure sum refurbishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Kensington Palace apartment.

The Cupola room at Kensington Palace Credit: David Jensen/EMPICS Entertainment

A royal spokesman said repairs and refurbishments - reported to cost around £4 million, though this figure was not confirmed by the royal household - included "significant amount of internal building" to "return the residence to function as a living space".

The King's Staircase at Kensington Palace in London. Credit: David Jensen/EMPICS Entertainment

William and Kate's Kensington Palace apartment was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was the home of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. Margaret remained there after their divorce and lived there until her death in 2002.

The living space was last refurbished in 1963.

A royal spokesman said: "This is the Duke and Duchess's one and only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come."

The Presence Chamber, part of the King's State appartments at Kensington Palace. Credit: David Jensen/EMPICS Entertainment

He said William and Kate "paid privately" for all the internal furnishings, including carpets and curtains.